Your Guide to Exploring the Wonderland Trail

8-Days, 93-Miles + 22,000 Feet of Elevation Gains & Losses

If you love hiking in alpine wilderness, majestic mountain scenery, turquoise lakes, churning glacial rivers and rustic camping, the 93-mile (150km) Wonderland Trail is for you! The Wonderland Trail circles Mt. Rainier (14,410ft./4,392m) in Washington, USA. It includes 22,000 feet (6,706m) of elevation gains and losses, with a peak height of 6,800 ft. (2,073m) at Panhandle Gap – one of the most picturesque parts of the trail.

A permit is hard to obtain. Apply online the day Rainier National Park opens their calendar – March 15. Trust me, if you do not, and live out of state, you’ll be S.O.L. The only other option is to gamble and apply for a walk-up permit on the day you want to trek. Two of us, in our party of four, applied online on March 15, each paying the $20 application fee. Only one 9-day itinerary (August 7-15) was approved – and we didn’t get all the campsites requested.

We did one resupply, dropping off our bucket at Longmire Wilderness Information Station, on the drive from Seattle to our starting location at Sunrise. Because of this, we began our trek carrying 6-days of food and each of our packs weighed 30-40 lbs. We trekked counter-clockwise, starting and finishing at Sunrise. After getting a feel for the trail and talking with other backpackers about water sources and buggy sites, we ‘adjusted’ our plans. We finished the 93-mile Wonderland Trail in 8-days and may or may not have partaken in unauthorized ‘squatting’ at certain campsites.

You can’t beat the grandiose mountains of the West. While we loved the scenery along the Wonderland Trail, we were less than impressed with most campsites. Most were tucked into buggy, wooded locations with no immediate access to drinkable/bathable water (see WT Tips below). Don’t let this deter you, it is worth the experience.

Like any adventure, there are lessons learned. Below is a list of our 5 favorite gear items, and Wonderland Trail tips to help plan your trek.

About Payge

Payge McMahon is an adventure athlete, journalist, motivational speaker and yoga instructor. She travels the world educating and inspiring others to overcome obstacles, get outdoors, try new things and start checking off that bucket list! She has been featured on ‘The Raft,’ an adventure survival series on National Geographic Channel, Alaska HDTV and ESPN’s ‘Journeys & Victories.’ Her episode won a Gracie Award, honoring women in media. Payge is a contributing writer for National Geographic Adventure, Competitor and Endurance Sports & Fitness.

For more information on backpacking, gear or adventure travel bucket list ideas, go to www.turnthepayge.com.